Daycare directory · Raleigh, NC

Daycare in Raleigh.

Published ·Updated

640+ licensed providers across North Hills, Five Points, Cameron Village, and the wider Wake County area, with verified 2026 tuition ranges, parent reviews, and a clearer path to free NC Pre-K seats. Always free for families.

640+
Verified providers
$1,250
Starting monthly tuition
5 mo
Median infant waitlist
Browse Raleigh daycares → Estimate your cost
Raleigh North Carolina downtown skyline
2026 cost overview

What daycare actually costs in Raleigh.

Tuition ranges are full-time, center-based monthly rates pulled from 340+ Raleigh providers and cross-checked against the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education market rate survey.

Infant (6 wk – 15 mo)
Infant care
$1,250 to 1,650
per month, full-time

North Hills, Cameron Village, and the Five Points corridor cluster at the top. Midtown, Brier Creek, and family child care across North Raleigh typically come in $150 to $300 below.

Toddler (15 mo – 3 yr)
Toddler care
$1,100 to 1,450
per month, full-time

North Carolina licensing shifts staff-to-child ratios at 24 months, which typically drops monthly tuition by $150 to $250. Half-day options are common in Five Points and Oakwood.

Preschool (3 – 5 yr)
Preschool
$1,000 to 1,300
per month, full-time

NC Pre-K offers free preschool to eligible four-year-olds and is delivered through Wake County Public School System Pre-K classrooms and contracted community-based providers across Raleigh.

Sources: NC Division of Child Development and Early Education, Child Care Aware of America 2025 North Carolina state report, US Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices, DaycareSquare Raleigh operator survey (Q1 2026). Updated May 2026.

For a deeper breakdown by neighborhood, infant ratio, local subsidy program, and quality tier, see our Raleigh daycare cost page.

Featured providers

A sample of Raleigh daycares.

Eight illustrative examples of local daycares. A searchable directory of verified, state-licensed providers is rolling out — these examples show the local landscape for now.

North Hills Early Learning North Hills
NAEYC accredited
North Hills Early Learning North Hills
North Hills · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,500/mo
Five Points Children's Academy Five Points
Premium listing
Five Points Children's Academy Five Points
Five Points · 12 wk – 4 yr
From $1,550/mo
Cameron Village Kids Cameron Village
NC Star 5
Cameron Village Kids Cameron Village
Cameron Village · 3 mo – 5 yr
From $1,600/mo
Downtown Raleigh Preschool Downtown
Reggio inspired
Downtown Raleigh Preschool Downtown
Downtown · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,400/mo
Brier Creek Discovery Brier Creek
Subsidy welcome
Brier Creek Discovery Brier Creek
Brier Creek · 18 mo – 5 yr
From $1,300/mo
Midtown Little Learners Midtown
Premium listing
Midtown Little Learners Midtown
Midtown · 2 – 5 yr
From $1,450/mo
Oakwood Children's Garden Oakwood
Montessori
Oakwood Children's Garden Oakwood
Oakwood · 6 wk – 4 yr
From $1,400/mo
North Raleigh Early Years North Raleigh
Open seats
North Raleigh Early Years North Raleigh
North Raleigh · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,250/mo
See all 640+ Raleigh daycares →
By neighborhood

Daycare in your neighborhood.

Raleigh tuition can vary by $350 a month across a single mile of Six Forks Road. These are the neighborhoods with the most active providers in our directory.

North Hills
34 daycares · From $1,450
Five Points
24 daycares · From $1,500
Cameron Village
22 daycares · From $1,550
Downtown
20 daycares · From $1,350
Midtown
30 daycares · From $1,400
Oakwood
16 daycares · From $1,350
Brier Creek
32 daycares · From $1,250
North Raleigh
48 daycares · From $1,250
West Raleigh
34 daycares · From $1,300
Southwest Raleigh
28 daycares · From $1,200
East Raleigh
26 daycares · From $1,200
Cary border
42 daycares · From $1,350

A short, honest guide to Raleigh daycare.

Raleigh has one of the fastest-growing daycare markets on the East Coast, shaped by the Research Triangle, the I-440 beltline, and the steady rhythm of state-government and university work. North Hills, Cameron Village, and Five Points run a strong center-based market with prices that approach Charlotte mid-range. Midtown, Brier Creek, and Oakwood sit in the middle of the market with a deep mix of center and home-based options. North Raleigh, West Raleigh, and the Cary border host a dense network of family child cares and NC Star-rated centers, many of them partnered with Wake County Public School System to deliver NC Pre-K.

NC Pre-K

NC Pre-K is North Carolina's state-funded pre-kindergarten program for income-eligible four-year-olds, including families up to 75 percent of state median income and children with developmental, language, or military-family qualifying factors. Wake County Public School System delivers NC Pre-K classrooms inside elementary buildings and contracts with community-based daycares to extend access. Many participating daycares combine NC Pre-K with wraparound morning and afternoon care, which means many parents pay only for the wrap hours. Read our NC Pre-K walkthrough for the eligibility math and enrollment timeline.

Source: NC Division of Child Development and Early Education NC Pre-K 2024-2025 program report. Approximately 26,000 NC Pre-K seats statewide, with Wake County accounting for one of the largest local programs.

North Carolina licensing and ratios

North Carolina licensed centers run at a 1:5 infant ratio, 1:6 for one-year-olds, 1:10 for two-year-olds, and 1:15 for three- to four-year-olds. The NC Star Rated License system rates each licensed center from one to five stars based on program and staff education standards. Family child cares are licensed separately at smaller group sizes through the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education, and they can be an excellent fit for families who want a home-like environment, especially for infants. Every legal provider in North Carolina is listed on the state's online licensing database, and every provider in our directory is cross-checked against it monthly.

Where Raleigh parents tend to overpay

  • Cameron Village and North Hills premium centers when a comparable Midtown or Brier Creek program is fifteen minutes away at a 10 to 15 percent discount.
  • Add-on enrichment fees (music, Spanish, soccer) that quietly stack on top of base tuition after the first invoice.
  • Annual registration and supply fees that are not disclosed on the website. Ask for the all-in monthly figure before you tour.

Financial help

Working families up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for the North Carolina Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, administered locally through Wake County Smart Start and the Department of Social Services. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, the North Carolina state child and dependent care credit, and a Dependent Care FSA. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math, and our state subsidy guide covers the application step by step.

Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list for a side-by-side scoring sheet.

Frequently asked

Daycare in Raleigh.

How much does daycare cost in Raleigh?
Full-time center-based daycare in Raleigh runs $1,000 to $1,650 per month in 2026, depending on age and neighborhood. North Hills, Cameron Village, and Five Points cluster at the top of the range; Midtown, Brier Creek, and family child care across North Raleigh offer the most mid-priced options. Source: Child Care Aware of America 2025 North Carolina report.
Is NC Pre-K free?
Yes for eligible children. NC Pre-K is delivered through Wake County Public School System and community-based daycare partners and is free to income-eligible four-year-olds. Many participating daycares offer wraparound care for working families. Read our NC Pre-K explainer.
How long is the waitlist for Raleigh daycare?
Our 2026 Raleigh operator survey found a median infant waitlist of five months. North Hills and Cameron Village flagship centers stretch to nine to fifteen months. Toddler and preschool seats commonly turn over within two to four months across the metro.
Are Raleigh daycares licensed by the city or the state?
Every legal daycare in North Carolina is licensed by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked against that database monthly.
What is the staff-to-child ratio in North Carolina daycares?
North Carolina requires 1:5 for infants, 1:6 for one-year-olds, 1:10 for two-year-olds, 1:15 for three-year-olds, and 1:20 for four-year-olds. Source: NC Administrative Code 10A NCAC 09 .0713.
Can I get help paying for daycare in Raleigh?
Working families up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for the NC Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, administered through Wake County. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA. Read our tax credit explainer.
Keep going

Useful next steps.

Statewide

Daycare in North Carolina

Costs, licensing, and subsidy programs across all of North Carolina, not just Raleigh.

View state page → Free tool

Raleigh cost calculator

Plug in your ZIP, child age, and care type. Get your personal monthly range in about sixty seconds.

Try the calculator → Free download

Comparison checklist

Twenty-seven questions to ask at every tour, plus a side-by-side scoring sheet. PDF.

Get the checklist →
Free · No obligation · 121 cities, all 50 states

Get matched with licensed daycares near you.

Tell us your child’s age and when you need care. We’ll send a shortlist of nearby licensed options — checked against state licensing data. Most centers keep waitlists, so the earlier you reach out, the better your odds. No spam, no obligation.